The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had forwarded a note for the Cabinet to the Ministry of Law and Justice on June 15 regarding the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2016, seeking its comment after the ban imposed by the Supreme Court (SC) on bull taming sport jallikattu and bullock cart racing. The environment ministry had expected to amend Section 22 of the Act, which deals with restrictions on exhibition and training of performing animals. With this approval, the environment ministry is all set to move a Cabinet note for lifting the ban by bringing in an amendment to that particular section of the Act. It's expected to bring moot the amendment in Parliament during the monsoon session beginning July 18.

This development has evoked mixed reactions from commoners who love bullock sports and activists, who see it as an infringement of animal rights. Speaking to Pune Mirror, RamkrushnaTakalkar, member of the AkhilBharatiyaBailgadaSharyatSanghatna, said, "We are happy with this decision as it is really in favour of the farmers, who consider the bullock cart race an integral part of the ancient agrarian society. We had always clarified our stand that this tradition preserves desi breeds and socalled animal activists have wrongly represented these races before the SC." The owners take good care of the bullocks, he insisted, adding that it's the animal rights activists, without any personal experience of rearing bullocks, who are opposing the races.

But PoorvaJoshipura, CEO of PETA India, strongly criticised what she called a "weakening" of the PCA Act, 1960. "This move comes at a time when citizens have been campaigning for stricter laws to protect animals, following the death of police horse Shaktimaan and other publicised cases of cullings. The environment ministry's continued attempts to circumvent the SC verdict against cruelty to bulls and weaken India's animal protection laws shows that it is woefully out of touch with the majority of Indian citizens, who want animals protected. Attempts to allow cruelty like jallikattu at a time when countries around the world are banning outdated spectacles like bullfighting and animal circuses makes India appear backward and archaic in the eyes of the world," she said.

Joshipura quoted the current provisions of the Act, which bans the use of bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls in performances. "An amendment to the Act, if allowed, could mean that even these wild species will be subjected to abuse in the name of culture, tradition and entertainment once again. The central government's move is another attempt to skirt the 2014 SC verdict confirming that use of bulls in jallikattu, bull races and bullfights are inherently cruel and illegal under the PCA Act," she rued.

City-based animal welfare volunteer Anjana Mishra couldn't agree more. "It is absolutely shocking news; such total cruelty cannot be justified. Amendments are done to strengthen the laws, but this is watering down already weak laws. On one hand, they talk about saving cows, while on the other, they are killing these bulls. This is all influenced by vote-bank politics. This entertainment for humans is a matter of life and death for animals," she said.

The draft amendment bill says that any animal notified in the official gazette, in exercise of the powers conferred under sub-section (II) of Section 22 of the Act, shall continue to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal at events in a manner prescribed by the religion or any community, or practiced traditionally under the customs or as a part of the culture in any part of the country. These events may include famous bullock cart races in rural Maharashtra during village festivals.

AmrutaUbale from Animal Equality India said, "The objective of the PCA Act is to prevent unnecessary suffering of animals. In today's time, when we have so many means of entertainment, why must we look at torturing thousands of innocent and sentient animals for entertainment? Courts have termed such events as subjecting animals to 'unnecessary suffering'."